Build the Oil Community of the future. This is the ambitious goal that the City of Oil have been given for the next five years. The announcement was made by President Michele Sonnessa reconfirmed at the helm of the Association with a unanimous vote of the national assembly that met today in Siena. A reconfirmation that rewards a first mandate marked by extraordinary growth in the association and incisive strategic action at the national level.
“In the last 5 years – Sommessa said – approximately 200 new members have joined, exceeding the 500 member entities quota for the first time. This means that dozens of new municipalities, provinces, GALs and parks have recognized the Association as a fundamental point of reference. More and more local administrations have seen in Città dell'Olio an opportunity to find solutions, stimuli and ideas for development related to the olive oil supply chain. This growth testifies to the credibility and attractiveness achieved by our network: today an unprecedented number of local communities share the vision of enhancing EVO oil and the territories of origin as strategic assets. The active participation of over 500 public bodies gives the Association an institutional weight never before had and a stronger voice in the dialogue with the Regions and the State. Internal cohesion and the expansion of the network have been fundamental to implementing strategic projects and facing common challenges together”.
There are 5 strategic lines on which we will act in continuity with the previous mandate: Oil Tourism, Environment and Landscape, Education and Training, Health and Communication. Tourism linked to extra virgin olive oil has established itself as a fundamental lever for territorial marketing.
The Association has invested and will continue to invest to structure and promote oil tourism, with actions that have involved both public institutions, with the work of drafting the Implementing Decrees to the National Law on Oil Tourism, and operators in the sector and the general public of enthusiasts.
In the coming months we will work on strengthening the large events spread across the territory: the Walk through the Olivi, The Snack in the olive grove e Going to Oil Mills and Markets. Alongside the Oil Tourism Competition, new projects have developed such as the “Oil Card”, an innovative tool designed to qualify the offer of restaurateurs and the Product Club which, through a network of oil tourism operators, aims to create an integrated and sustainable offer, networking the “extra virgin ambassadors” – oil mills, producers, restaurateurs, hoteliers, tour operators, event organisers – committed to promoting the world of oil.
The defense of the environment and the olive-growing landscape will also be at the center of the new mandate. Action will be taken on several fronts to safeguard and enhance the olive-growing territories: through the proposed national law to combat the abandonment of traditional and historical olive growing and an intense political-institutional lobbying activity implemented with the network of Cities of Identity (Cities of Oil and Cities of Wine) starting from the Manifesto on areas suitable for renewable energy plants that was created last year.
The commitment continues in the enhancement of historical-rural landscapes through the candidacy of the landscapes of the Cities of Oil to the National Register of Rural Landscapes of Historical Interest. The diffusion of the culture of oil and the education of new generations have always been in the DNA of the Cities of Oil. In the coming years, initiatives in schools will grow with “Oil in the Chair” and internal training with the Training School “City of Oil Master Camp” aimed at local administrators.
Never before in recent years has there been so much talk about theextra virgin olive oil for his health benefits. The Cities of Oil have grasped this trend, making it a strategic pillar. In this context, two very important collaboration agreements have been signed with the LILT (Italian League for the Fight against Tumors) and with the Italian Liver Foundation (FIF) from which many national and local initiatives were born.
Sonnessa's reconfirmation comes at a time of strong institutional recognition for the Association, which was recently included in the Made in Italy Law (L. 206/2023) through the official recognition of the "Cities of Identity".
“I thank all the members for their trust – concluded the president – and I am ready to take on the new challenges with them. Unity is strength, and today more than ever we can look to the future with optimism, determination and competence”.
